The Story of my Life

My head is still throbbing due to lack of sleep and my feet are still sore. Had our MBA year-end party in our home which means Husbo and I were busy playing host and hostess. As usual, it was a riot. Parties with these people are usually like that, and it's not because of just one person, it's because everyone is makulit and rowdy all at the same time. I can just imagine how disturbing we were to our neighbors last night, and I can't really blame them. Everyone was speaking at the top of their lungs and laughing to their heart's delight.

The Earlybirds: Jom, Me, Des, Kathy, Jayvee and Romeo



This is all of us. Only one person is missing: Wilson
From L-R: Enganged couple Patchi and JV, Ching, Rome, Ritchie, Jason, Kathy, Jayvee, Des, Jom and I

Borrowed a friend's template of Panahon Ko `To and tweaked the questions to make it more appropriate for a Christmas party. Had 3 groups of 3, with each group having someone represent the 70s, 80s and 90s.

Group 1 - Kathy (70s), Des (80s) and Jason (90s)
Group 2 - Jayvee (70s), Ching (80s) and JV (90s)
Group 3 - Rome (70s), Ritchie (802) and Patchi (90s)

Knowing how much these people hate admitting their age, I grouped them without telling which era they were representing. It was up to them to admit which era they belong to for as long as someone will say the magic words: Panahon ko `to!

To which Ritchie replied: Panahon ni Rome yan!

Ritchie answered: Tinimbang ka ngunit kulang.

Rome: Panahon ko `to! Bell bottom. Nagsusuot kasi ang ako ng bell bottoms nung 90s.

Kathy: Panahon ko `to! Disney Channel?

Everyone burst out in laughter knowing that Kathy was way mature than the rest of us, we can't accept there's Disney Channel in the 70s.

Ching: Panahon ko-nya to! (pointing at JV)

Weng weng, as you know, became popular in the 70s. Ching realized she was answering a question relevant in the 70s and she doesn't want to be identified in the 70s era.

Ritchie was the first to raise his hand with this question but couldn't let out the answer. Kathy, who belonged to the other group blurted out the answer with inip...Spray Net!

After the game, we had white elephant exchange gift.

Up next, we played the walang-kamatayang Pinoy Henyo.

Des and Ching seemed like they were on drugs that night, heckling and doing just anything to disturb the person on the seat. Super hyper mode these two ladies!

Ching: English?

Hindee

Ching: Tagalog

Hindee

Ching: Shet? Ano to? Espanyol?

The night ended a little past midnight. The house was a mess, of course, and my feet were soooo tired. But it was all worth it. Had a great time. I'm usually one of the most makulit in the group but because of my condition, had to lay low. I sooooo missed these guys.

Last week marked the beginning of lots of parties to usher in the Holidays. I'm loving the holidays, because for the first time in so long I can eat whatever I everything (in moderation of course).

First, the Badminton Club Party. Which I don't have a photo of.

Second, Life is Shorts party of the Volleyball Club. Where I took home 500 worth of GCs.

Then the OGC Mardi Gras Year-End Party, where the party was so colorful. And for the first time, I felt deprived of alcohol so I ordered a glass of wine for props and smelling purposes. hehehe

And then, one PS arrived in Policeman costume who rocked the house down.

Finally, there is the Christmas party with my YDWTL family. The first time in 6 years of being a Dazer that I was able to attend it.

My monthly check up with my OB is coming up. And with all the food I ate, got worried that I might have gone over the weight limit for this month. Luckily, I only gained 3lbs. Hooray to that!

More parties lined up in the next two weeks. Will keep you posted.

Thanks to friends for the photos.

My OB advised that aside from listening to classical music, I should also talk to my baby and read books to him/her. And so for the past weeks, I’ve been reading to baby as much as I can, usually before we sleep.

Last night, I realized I received a number of books from friends which I can read to baby or use as guide during my pregnancy or as scrapbook.

PREGNANCY JOURNAL. This one is from my bestfriend. She gave this to me together with her wedding gift. I actually had forgotten about it as I had it stacked with bathroom magazines way back. Found it again during my bedrest period. This book is sort of a journal. I am supposed to write the moments and milestones of my pregnancy. Have not done anything yet. hehehe

WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU'RE EXPECTING. This one is from Leslie, an officemate, who was one of the first who knew I was pregnant. Since Jom and I started trying, she and I have monitored my period every month and were watchful of any signs of pregnancy. So when I delivered the good news to her, she gave me this book as soon as she could. It has been my bible ever since. All questions I have about pregnancy, I refer to this book. The book is divided in chapters based on the months of pregnancy, and I read them as I go through the month of pregnancy. Sometimes I read in advance, so I know what to expect. So far this book has been a great help. A little bit of info: Another officemate-friend, Mars, was supposed to give me the same book but when she found out I had one already she bought me a lotion, instead.

OH, BABY, THE PLACES YOU'LL GO. This one is a short book whose main purpose is to be read to the unborn baby. I’ve read it a couple of times and it’s a bit of a tongue twister. It’s fun though. Given by Pepper, another officemate, who’s a lawyer. Baby, would you like to be a lawyer someday?

BEFORE. And finally, this book is from Mellay, a good friend of mine from Days. She scribbled a note on the first page but forgot to scan it. Anyhoo, it read that since she hasn’t been pregnant herself, she doesn’t have pregnancy stories to share with me. Hence, this book, a compilation of stories about pregnancy. This and the previous book are the ones I read to baby whenever I have time.

I plan to continue reading to baby every night, if I’m not too tired, so that the baby can discern mine and dad’s voice among others. Will also consider this as our “us” time.

The paper I just reviewed for my boss made me more sleepy. I need to do something to perk me up so I thought I should write down my Christmas wish list. I haven’t done this for a couple of years already, so I’ll revive it this year.

1. Basic baking tools. I want to make a good use of our oven and start baking again. But I lost all the baking tools mom gave me back in highschool. The only ones left are the measuring cups and spoons which will not get me anywhere so I need a new set of baking tools. i.e. baking pans of all shapes and sizes, rolling pins, spatula, liquid measuring cup, cooking cutters, mixers, whip etc.


2. Prime Lens, Tripod, and flash. Since I got Honeylet, I’ve not been able to upgrade it except for the expensive camera bag I bought when her original bag broke. I’ve been wanting to buy a tripod for our travels and a prime lens so I can get more beautiful portrait photos. I’m itching to get this now because when the baby is here I’m sure I'm gonna need to take close-up photos of the baby's feet, fingers and face.

3. Lots of undergarments. You know naman, I’m expanding everyday and most of my undies are small/medium. It gets irritating na down there. Hahahaha! So arte.

4. Season 5-6-7 Grey’s Anatomy. Managed to finish Season 4 and half of Season 5 of Grey’s Anatomy when I was on bed rest.

5. Olive oil. To minimize stretchmarks. I’m allergic to cocoa butter so olive oil only please.

6. Bag. Is being a semi bag hag good enough reason? A Gucci or Goyard bag. hehehe

7. Classical Music CDs for my little one. Although, my readings said there’s really no scientific basis for claiming that a classical music enhances a baby’s brain, I will still try. I won’t lose anything if I did right?

8. Maternity Dresses/Clothes. I’ve been having a hard time finding clothes to wear and maternity dresses are really way out of my style. So I need to get shapeless, trapeze or jersey maxi dresses.

9. Accessories. I also need to start using accessories now that my face is changing. The accerssories will focus people's attention to it and away from my kamatis-like nose.

10. iPad. I’m not really a fan of gadgets but for some reason. I’m beginning to be interested in this gadget.

I've stopped wearing heels since I got pregnant. This means my heels have accumulated molds and dust just lying on the shoe rack. A friend told me that you should give it some fresh air to maintain its fresh look. And so the next day, I took it out and left it where it could get the needed air.

This is a super late post, I know. Lately have been tamad to write anything. But since internet connection here at in-law's house is ultra fast, I might as well take advantage of it.

I came across this personalized card when I was searching for my previous christmas gift list and I recalled how dead na dead I was with my husband before we officially became a couple.

Jerome, Ching and I were inseperable back then. We'd hangout, watch a movie, or travel together even if it were just the three of us. We were all good friends, talking about a lot of things and sharing about our individual lovelife. I think I wrote this because I knew that, at that time, Jom was going out a lot. He was meeting a lot of people and it was not impossible for him to find someone.

The truth is, it was a subtle way of saying "pick me". lol

I'm now on my 2nd month of pregnancy. A lot of changes are happening to my body and I want to document all these changes, including some pregnancy signs, in the hope that it will come handy for my friends who are planning their first baby.

Increased Body Temperature. Before I got pregnant, Husbo and I noticed that my body temperature was strangely warm. I know that a woman's body temperature changes when they ovulate and returns to its normal after the ovulation period. But mine was different. I had warm body temperature for an extended period. I stopped wondering when the doctor confirmed that changes in body temperature is normal for pregnant women.

Sore breasts. One of the first questions my OB asked me the day we met her for my pregnancy test was how my breasts felt. They were sore and extremely sensitive. In fact, they're more sore and sensitive compared to what I feel before I have my period. And based on my readings, this is because as my body prepares for the pregnancy it is producing more hormones, estrogen and progesterone, thus the tenderness of my breasts.

Wider hips. Just a few weeks into my pregnancy, I felt I grew a few inches in the bottom part which made fitting into my pants impossible. From pants, I shifted to tights, skirts and dresses. Good thing I've invested on them months before. Nowadays when I’d wear my pants, I have to make use of extenders to make end to end meet.

Nausea without vomiting. I'm so thankful that I'm one of those who don't experience morning sickness. I've seen an officemate battle it out with morning sickness for months and it was not a pretty sight. She was almost always at the restroom vomiting during working hours and I saw how difficult it was for her. The worst case of morning sickness I've experienced so far was nausea, which came to a point that I was almost going to collapse. But vomiting is not my thing, thank God!

Food cravings/aversions. I'm not difficult to feed. In fact, when Jom and I eat out I always let him pick the restaurant because I could eat anything, anywhere. But since I've gotten preggers, my taste buds have become more picky with what I eat. I can't seem to find anything I really like, nothing seems appetizing so I always find eating a chore.

Constipation and Flatulence. Enough said.

Wild dreams. For 3 consecutive days, I’ve been dreaming about weird things and I end up crying heavily in my dreams. And when I wake up and touch my eyes, I did shed a few tears.

Overly sensitive and emotional. Had a minor disagreement with the Husbo last weekend. Normally, I would let a thing like that pass, but last weekend I noticed it was too difficult for me to control my emotions so I ended up getting mad at him and crying myself to sleep.

I know a lot more will happen in the coming months, and I hope husbo and I will be strong enough to manage all of them. I cant wait for our next check-up. I want to see how big my baby has grown and what new body parts are now visible. I hope the days move faster to the third week of October.

I still can’t believe that growing inside of me is God’s most precious gift to Jom and I. We’ve been waiting for this for quite sometime and now that it’s here we can’t thank Him enough for this wonderful blessing.

After a few months of trying to conceive, I think I was already near the end of it. Jom or more like I, was already feeling the pressure and that makes trying less enjoyable. He knew I was this close to giving up because He saw me sobbing in my little corner. So the next time I visited my OB, which was a couple of weeks before my birthday, He answered our prayers. He took His time answering other people’s prayers and when it was our turn, it was the perfect time.

And once again, He proved that everything we desire will be given to us in His perfect time. And if He doesn’t or He delays, it means He’s planning a great surprise.

No words can describe how excited I am with this gift from God and the many things this child will bring into our lives. Jom and I already feel blessed having been happily and peacefully together for several months, and this gift from God will surely bless our marriage even more.

I gave in to my craving. Hehehehe

And to justify this new purchase, I told myself this is an advance birthday gift to myself. Also I asked Jom’s approval and he was pleased with the design so he gave me the greenlight.

The husbo and I

The Gang (minus Paolo who's the one behind the cam). Lou is the person above me.

In weddings, I always dread the Singles’ game. Not that I’m scared of getting the bouquet, but more because I am scared of the possible humiliation I could get myself into trying to avoid being in the spotlight.

These days, there are more ways of choosing the supposedly next-in-line. Some are fun but others tend to be over the top embarrassing.

Jom and I were once the butt of laughter in one of our friend’s wedding. The game was sort of a dating game. Jom was chosen as the Searchee (?) after quickly inserting the thread in the needle’s hole despite being dizzy caused by circling in place 3 times and a shot of tequila. When the ladies' turn came, the host trimmed us down to by asking Jom, all describing what the girls were wearing. I was lucky enough to be part of the final 3 because Jom’s answer matched what I was wearing. When we were down to three, the host asked Jom to smell each of the girls and pick his date from there. Unfortunately, he picked the wrong girl. That created a buzz among the audience (even waiters). How can you not know what your girlfriend smells? How could you ignore the signs? I resented a little but later on I realized it was just a game. And knowing Jom, I’m sure if he was given enough clues he would’ve picked me.

In last Saturday’s game, we were, thankfully, not handpicked to participate given that we've already crossed the "singles" stage. Thank Gawd, because, finally I dont need to worry about embarrassing myself in front of hundreds of people.

In the next 6 months, 5 of Jerome's high school friends will be getting married. This being the case, I need to have 5 different dresses because these weddings will be attended by the same group of people and I dont want to be seen in the same dress 5x!

One wedding will be this Saturday. For this Saturday, I'm going to use a grecian-inspired dress I bought early this year which I've only worn at the Fashion Week. Will show you a pic soon.

For the next wedding, which is in October, I'm thinking of wearing this one.

Thanks to The Bag Hag for posting this one in her blog.

It's made of charmeuese and I love charmeuese. I also like that it shows off some skin (I'm sure the husbo would agree). And the belt is detachable so if I want to highlight my curves, I can put it on. But if God gives us a our own bundle of joy, I can take them out to show off my baby bump. I'm also thinking of getting a different color, if they have another color. What do you think?

Wait wait...first I have to know how much it is. Lemme check!

When I used to have so much time in my hands, one of the things I did to while away the time on weekends was read my books in a quiet coffee shop. For a couple of years, though, I’ve not secluded myself and my books. I’ve been busy being a girlfriend/wife, a badminton player and a kapamilya fan (LOL) so I’ve neglected my books and my quiet time. But today, I've decided, I’m going to do just that. I’m going to find myself and my book a nice and quiet coffee shop so we can catch-up.

This day isn't working out well for me.

This is us with Tina and Jajie in Jalapeno. We spent one weekend in summer at a beach in Batangas, and we're planning another getaway this September. In Cebu this time. Can't wait.